Chasing You
by Ione-Sama
Summary: "That's funny, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to looking UP at him. The man was so—tall. And that's another thing; she doubted she'd ever get used to the boy in front of her, being a man." Rated M especially for future chapters. R&R, COMPLETE.
1. Escape

**A/N: Okay this is my second NatsuxLucy fanfic & although I didn't plan on writing another one—well we all know that writer's inspiration comes to us whenever it chooses. So! Here we go! This one's gonna be unique, focusing a bit more on Natsu's growth into an S-Class wizard! Hope you all enjoy and please bear with me; I know some characters will seem a tiny bit OOC but that's how it's supposed to be. Don't worry, I'll keep characters mostly cannon. And this is going to be post-Edolas so Lisanna is back BUT Lucy is NOT getting kicked off the team! …I honestly kind of hate that plot. Also, she's not gonna be 'suddenly forgotten' by everyone—she's just gonna feel a bit left out with everyone celebrating Lisanna's return. Anywho, on with the story!**

She understood how happy everyone must have been; They'd all thought Lisanna was dead and now she was back; who could blame them for being overjoyed and wanting to celebrate for weeks on end?

Still—it was hard for Lucy not to feel a little left out. Afterall, she didn't know anything about the youngest Strauss sister—no one had ever really talked about her—and even with her being back, there really wasn't a chance for Lucy to even have a proper introduction with everyone else constantly swarming her!

….Not to mention that Team Natsu now had six members instead of five (if you were counting Happy) and for herself, Lucy almost felt like she was imposing, considering she had taken over Lisanna's original place to start with.

She was adept however at not letting on to anyone in her team or at the guild, that she was feeling discomfited and left out and for that, she was quite proud of herself.

…But all that changed the day she wandered into the guild and ambled over to the bar for a strawberry milkshake.

She spotted Lisanna and Cana at the other end of the Bar and was just about to greet them until she heard Natsu's name mentioned by the young Strauss sister.

Her curiosity piqued, she decided to discreetly overhear the conversation instead.

"I don't get it, Lisanna; everyone couldn't be happier that you're back but you act like it's some kind of curse to be alive again!"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to it's just that—well Natsu and—"

"Ohhhh….so it's about Natsu, huh?" Cana winked at the younger woman suggestively, causing Lisanna to blush furiously.

"I know it's rather absurd I mean we were just kids and—well and—"

She struggled to put her feelings into words but failed miserably as Cana patted her shoulder gently.

"You still have feelings for him, I get it trust me! I mean just because you haven't seen someone for years, doesn't mean that those feelings are just gonna magically vanish; especially when you've spent so long in a parallel universe…with someone that is identical to that person in every way!"

Lisanna laughed. "Well not quite—Edolas Natsu was—well rather pathetic unless he was driving around in one of his crazy inventions…but I mean he looked exactly like Natsu so yeah…it was odd for me."

"You never let go of those memories you had with Natsu, here. It makes sense that the feelings you had for him would also still be there."

Lucy listened intently and with each passing word, her heart sank further and further.

"Yes but I don't know if Natsu could or would feel the same…?"

Cana knocked back a mug of beer and let out a satisfying sigh before slamming the mug down on the bar.

"Well you'll never know unless you ask, right?"

Lucy's face paled and she felt sick as she finished the last bit of her shake and set it down with shaking hands.

"But I—I mean I've been gone for so long and—besides him and—L-Lucy well—well they seem—"

Cana burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me?! Natsu and Lucy?! Honey, you have nothing to worry about—I doubt Natsu even knows what it would mean to have feelings for her and even if he did, Lucy is very adamant that she could never see Natsu as anything more than a friend and partner."

Lisanna seemed to visibly relax at this and thanked Cana for listening to her worries.

"Anytime, Kiddo—now what are you still doin' here? I think you have a certain question to ask a certain boy?"

With that, Lisanna beamed and leapt off her stool, hurrying away in search of a certain pink-haired Pyro.

As for Lucy, she could barely contain the torrent of emotions raging inside of her. There was shock, confusion hurt and anger which were the two that confused her the most but there was also a sharp streak of jealousy that cut into her deeper than she would've expected.

"Hey Lucy? You don't look so good, are you okay hun?"

Lucy glanced up to see Mira leaning over the bar, gazing at her with worry lines creasing her forehead.

"It's—nothing Mira I'm fine I just—"She touched her forehead, feeling a headache coming on and the slight feeling of nausea began to set in.

"I'm just feeling tired and I—I have a headache coming on I think."

"Whoa! You don't look good, Lucy." Cana chimed in, noticing her blonde friend's pale appearance.

"Yeah I—I guess maybe I need to lay down—or something."

She stood on shaky legs just as the front doors burst open and in walked Natsu with none other than Lisanna at his side, followed by Gajeel.

"Alright! I'm all fired up now!" The pyro exclaimed as he walked to the mission board and scanned it carefully.

Hearing his voice, Lucy groaned.

"Hey Lucy…what's wrong?" Cana asked, noticing how Lucy's eyes strayed to Natsu, looking pained the moment they landed on him.

"It's nothing, Cana." Lucy snapped, surprising both women who stared at her in shock.

"I'm—I'm sorry Cana I—I didn't mean to snap I just—"

"Hey there Luce! Guess what?!"

Another groan sounded from Lucy but she had no way to avoid him as his wide grin and bright onyx eyes were already in her face.

"Gramps finally cleared me for my very first S-Class mission!"

This news somehow snapped Lucy out of her nauseated stupor and she perked up. "What?!"

"Yeah! I mean I passed the exams last week but Gramps wanted to make sure that I had just the right mission and we had to wait for Gajeel here to get back from his."

"Why Gajeel?" Lucy questioned, peaking around Natsu and staring at the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel grunted. "Because Master thought it'd be a good idea for Flame brain here to have another S-Class Mage along for his first time—you know, in case he screws up and gets himself killed."

Natu's face twisted into a scowl. "What did you say to me?!"

"You heard me, short stack."

"SHORT STACK! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, GAJEEL?!" Natsu shook his fist in the air, indignant by Gajeel's jab at his stature—but everyone else merely looked on and laughed knowingly to themselves; Fairy Tail just wasn't the same unless Natsu was picking a fight with someone!

"Well that's really incredible, Natsu I'm really proud of you!" Lucy rejoined the conversation, causing her partner to forget his anger at Gajeel and turn a wide grin on her.

"Thanks a bunch, Luce! I wish you could be there!" He picked her up and spun her around—causing an odd tingly feeling to bubble up in the blonde's belly as she looked down at him.

"Well I'll be there in spirit."

"Oh! And another thing, Lisanna is coming along for the first few days to get in some training too! So I get to work up to it before our actual mission which is awesome!" He fist pumped, not noticing how his partner's face obviously fell at the mention of Lisanna.

"W-well that's good—I'm glad you are getting this chance, all of you. I'll be cheering you on from here." And with that, Lucy turned away from her partner and walked towards the door.

"Oi Luce!" Natsu called after her and when she turned around, He had his hand up in the air, making the famous Fairy Tail sign with the most brilliant smile on his face.

Lucy's heart constricted painfully…

Damn it, how she loved that insufferable Dragon Slayer….

Biting back the tears, she forced a smile and returned the gesture with as much enthusiasm as she could manage…whatever happened, she couldn't let him know he was the reason for her tears.

# # # #

 _Three Months Later…_

MiraJane Strauss was at a complete loss—she'd never felt so completely torn in all her life!

On the one hand, she had her darling little sister who still harbored very obvious feelings for Fairy Tail's beloved Fire Dragon Slayer, but on the other hand, she had one of her best and most dearest friends who's heart was breaking as a result of being _madly, hopelessly head-over-heels-in love_ with said Dragon Slayer!

What to do, what to do?!

MiraJane hadn't the faintest idea. She felt loyalty towards her sister—but Lisanna had been gone for so long and everyone had changed—Lucy came in two years ago and during that time, she'd formed very deep and permenant bonds with everyone _here_ …especially Natsu.

When Mira looked at it from a completely logical perspective, it was obvious that Lucy really had the upper hand; she knew the Natsu that was here and now—and she knew him better than anyone did.

Lisanna may have more history with Natsu but she knew the Natsu of the past—the Natsu that no longer existed and if Mira was being honest, her sister was holding onto a very impractical and mythical dream; her feelings may be sincere but they were superficial at best because she didn't hardly know anything about Natsu now…Natsu had been through so much and as painful as it may be, Lisanna hadn't been there, Lucy had.

"Ugh!" MiraJane groaned, massaging her temple as she picked up another glass jar and wiped it out.

"You alright there, Mira?" It was Gray who strolled up the bar and seated himself on a stool right across from the barmaid.

"Honestly? No not really."

Gray's brows furrowed. "Anything I can do?"

"I don't know, Gray—I've got myself in a perfect pickle; on the one hand, I have my sweet—but very naïve—little sister who thinks that just because she still has feelings for Natsu, they can just pick up where they left off—and on the other, I have Lucy who in spite of how heatedly she would deny it, is obviously hopelessly head-over-heels in love with Natsu but her heart is breaking because she thinks she doesn't have a chance because _my_ sister stands between them!"

Gray's eyes widened. "Whoa. Okay yeah that's uh—that's worse than being caught in a standoff with Laxus or Guildarts."

"Exactly! I just don't know what to do, Gray I mean if I was completely honest? Lisanna is being ridiculously naïve because we've all changed, including Natsu and he's nothing like the "boy" she loved back then. Whereas Lucy's been with us for two years and she knows Natsu better than anyone! She gets him!"

"She sure does—it's kinda freaky sometimes how in tuned those two are with each other."

Mira nodded. "I just wish I knew what to tell my sister because I really feel like she's standing in the way of something that's meant to be."

"Well hold on a second, I mean you and I both know that Lucy's nuts for Natsu but Natsu? I mean the guy doesn't even know what manners are, much less how to properly treat a girl I mean he may not have the same feelings for Lucy that she had for him and well that could cause issues."

"I've thought of that—and it is a valid point—but at the same time, I definitely think there's something special in Natsu when it comes to Lucy and it always strikes me as something other than just nakama…I don't know I just want him and Lucy to have a fair chance at discovering it and I don't see that happening as long as Lisanna feels she has a right to Natsu's heart; she'll confuse him and scare Lucy out of ever taking the chance."

Gray mulled over her words for a long moment. "Well, what d'you wanna do? If there's any way I can help, I'll do what I can."

Mira thought for a long moment. "I don't know—maybe—if I talked to Lisanna—no, that wouldn't work, she'd get all shy and defensive; she's always been defensive when it comes to boys, especially Natsu. Maybe it would be better to wait until Natsu gets back—then I could see how he behaves around Lisanna and go from there. Yes, yes I'll just wait until—"

Just then, the front doors to the guild opened and Gray turned to see Gajeel and Natsu walking in. His eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Uh yeah or you know, you could do it now."

Mira's eyes snapped to the front of the guildhall and her mouth dropped open when she spotted the topic of their discussion.

"Oi everybody! The two manliest men are back!" Elfman called from the other side of the hall and pretty soon, everyone was crowding around the two Dragon Slayers to welcome them home.

"Is that— _Natsu?!"_ Mira breathed in disbelief.

Gray's eyes never left his pink-haired teammate. "Yeeeah…at least I think so; but holy cow, he's as tall as Gajeel now—and—he's freakin' HUGE!"

"Yeah! Natsu's the man!" Elfman exclaimed.

They were right—and the rest of the Guild seemed just as stunned as they crowded around their beloved Pyro.

The boy had left and a _man_ had returned—Natsu must have hit a major growth spurt as he now stood just as tall as Gajeel and though he'd always had a well-developed physique, it couldn't compare to how he looked now. The Fire Dragon Slayer had filled out twice over; his shoulders were broader, tight corded muscles ran down the full length of his arms, constricting and pulling taught with every movement and his torso was _packed_ front-to-back with powerful and hard-as-steel muscles.

There was really only one way to describe Natsu's stunning transformation— _Damn!_

His face was different too. Although the look of pure ecstasy and excitement was still visibly showing in his eyes, his features were more solid and stronger in their curvature; his jawline was very pronounced and the subtle curve of his mouth into the faintest of smiles, seemed foreign in the place of his usual youthful wide toothy grin.

There were some new scars as well but that was to be expected; he'd just returned from his very first S-Class mission and from the traces of battle lust and sated victory lingering on both their expressions, it must have been the fight of the century.

"Well I must say Natsu you've left all of us quite—impressed." Erza walked up to her teammate—and literally looked _up_ at him.

Natsu grinned devilishly. "Hey there, Erza.

Her lips parted a little, surprised by his voice which sounded deeper than the last time they'd spoken.

Noticing her surprise, Natsu just rolled his eyes and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Awh don't look at me like that, Erza, it's just weird!"

Erza returned his hug—albeit awkwardly—and smiled. "I'm sorry it's just—well you've really grown up, Natsu and I am very proud."

He looked down at her, marveling at how almost-delicate she looked now that he was taller but it made no difference; even though he was S-Class now, Erza still scared him and she could probably still kick his ass.

Just then, his eyes caught sight of something white in his peripheral vision and his head snapped towards the bar. Spotting Mira, his mouth watered and his stomach rumbled. Loudly.

"Oh thank the heavens, Mira!" And just like that, a bit of the old Natsu returned as he bounded over to the bar and pinned Mira with his best puppy dog stare. "Please tell me you have something to eat?"

Mira rolled her eyes and laughed outright. "Well I guess some things will never change, Natsu; although I'm glad to see that you're still you."

"Of course I'm still me, who else would I be?"

"Just hang on a sec—I'll be back." She disappeared into the back room and Natsu picked up another female voice joining hers.

His ears perked up. That voice sounded familiar—insanely familiar—but there was something different about it too.

He didn't have long to figure out who's it was however because in the next second, the door to the kitchen was swinging open and out walked a gorgeous blonde with a fishtail braid slung over one shoulder and a blue cat perched on the other.

"L-Lucy?"

Lucy's head snapped up and her eyes widened to the size of saucers when she saw him. The tray of drinks slipped out of her hands and crashed to the floor, leaving beer, milkshake and juice splattering all over her feet.

The blue cat on her shoulder took one look at Natsu and practically crashed into his chest, crying. "Natsuuuuuuuuu!"

"Happyeeeeeee!" Natsu cried back, hugging the cat so tightly, Happy started to gag but the Dragon Slayer didn't' seem to notice.

Lucy just stood there in total shock. She hadn't expected to see him—clearly she'd lost track of time—had it already been three months?!

"Natsu, I missed youuuuuu!" Happy continued to cry hysterically into his master's arms but Natsu didn't seem to mind; he was just as happy to see his best buddy.

Mira reappeared and seeing Happy and Natsu—not to mention a stunned, speechless Lucy, she smiled.

"Oh! I see you've found Happy and Lucy."

At the mention of his partner's name, Natsu's head snapped up and his eyes locked onto hers again. "Yeah, hey there, Luce. How have you—"

The blonde's hands flew to her mouth and whirling around she dashed back into the kitchen, letting the door swing closed behind her.

"Uh…."

Mira looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen, a worried expression marring her beautiful features.

She was afraid this might happen.

"Hey what—what did I do? Lucy? Why'd you run for?" He was making his way behind the bar before Mira stopped him.

"Why don't you let me go in first?"

Hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded and reluctantly returned to his seat.

 _Back in the kitchen…_

"Lucy?"

Mira rounded a corner to find Lucy with her back against the wall and one hand covering her mouth as she stifled a sob.

"Oh sweetie…" Mira was at her side and laying a gentle hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Just then, the barmaid was stunned when she heard the sound of laughter coming from Lucy and crazier still was the fact that she was still crying.

Laughing and crying at the same time.

"I—I I'm sorry M-Mira!—I just—I don't know what's w-w-wrong with me!" Another bout of laughter mixed with tears, followed until finally, Lucy managed to pull herself together until only occasional tears fell.

"I've never felt so—happy and so _upset_ all at the same time!" She scoffed a little, brushing away the last few tears.

"I've never seen someone laugh and cry at the same time, Lucy are you sure you're alright?"

"Oh Mira—I don't know. I really don't. I mean here I thought it would just be 'another day at the guild' and then…..poof. In _he_ walks and I don't even have time to register that three months have indeed already gone by, before I'm—literally face-to-face with him…and it's _him_ like…two, three times over!"

Mira snorted softly. "He has changed, hasn't he?"

"I don't know if…'changed' is really an adequate word to describe… _all of that."_ Lucy made large sweeping gestures with her hands, causing Mira to giggle in response.

"Oh for sure—I mean Natsu was always in good shape but… _damn!_ He's as tall as Gajeel and—those muscles!"

MiraJane oooo'd and ahhh'd, causing Lucy's cheeks to flame a bright red as she thought back to the brief moment she had seen her partner; she shook her head in disbelief.

"Oi Mira! You done back there, yet?" It was Natsu.

Both women shared a look and an eye roll—one thing's for sure, the boy may longer remain but the _man_ was still just as impatient as ever.

"Do you need a minute?" Mira asked.

Lucy let out a breath, her cheeks puffed but shook her head. "No, I'm fine I just—I guess I just thought I would be better prepared, you know? I thought maybe I'd be—"

"Over him?" Mira finished gently.

Lucy deadpanned. "Lucy it's okay, I know—and believe me when I say that I understand."

Lucy nodded gratefully as the two women took each other's hand and with deep, calming breaths, finally emerged.

# # # #

"Lucyyyyyy!" At the sight of her, Natsu literally hauled Lucy over the bar and spun her around, crushing her in a big bear hug as he did so.

Lucy went breathless at the new level of strength as he lifted her up in the air without even a grunt and spun her around.

What was even more staggering was how solid his arms felt as they encircled her waist and the steel hardness of his chest that she was currently being crushed against, had her quite literally out of breath.

"N-Na-tsu! A-air!" She rasped as her partner spun her around once more.

"Oh! My bad, Luce…here." He set her on the ground again and the vice-like grip finally loosened, letting oh so much glorious air rush into her lungs.

"Okay! That was a little bit—m-much Natsu I could hardly breathe!" She gasped looking— _up_ into her partner's onyx eyes.

That's funny, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to looking _up_ at him.

The man was so— _tall._

And that's another thing; she doubted she'd _ever_ get used to the boy in front of her, being a _man._

"Hey you okay, Luce?" His voice was deeper than the last time—it sounded richer—more baratone.

"Sorry I just—I don't think I'll ever get used to having to look _up_ at you now—and that voice of yours. Hmm…deeper than the last time I saw you, for sure."

At this, Natsu grinned sheepishly and a bit of pink dusted across his cheek bones. "Awh well I guess I'm just a late bloomer."

Lucy laughed a little at that, trying to keep her eyes focused _up_ at his face and not _down_ to his muscular chest. "Oh don't worry, you—you've _more than made up for it."_ She muttered under her breath but Natsu picked it up and he smirked at her.

"Why Lucy Heartfilia…are you _flirting_ with me?"

Lucy's mouth dropped—and her face turned red as a cherry.

"Wha-?! I—y-you didn't—I would never—! Y-you must be out of your mind!" She sputtered before pushing away from him and whirling around. "Ugh, I have work to do!"

She was thankful for the escape her job afforded her; after a month of Natsu being gone, she'd gone to Mira and begged for a job which had the Lovely Strauss more than pleased to hire her on as a secondary Barmaid. Lisanna hadn't been able to put in as much time as she was busy training for her S-Class exams so Mira had been rather short-staffed to say the least!

Lucy had been thrilled with the opportunity and not only that, she caught on fast and proved to be invaluable.

Three months in and Lucy wasn't sure how she'd ever managed day after day _without_ this job! Not only did she love to serve but it also gave her a 100% steady income which wasn't as guaranteed when she took missions—considering a portion of the reward always had to go towards repairs after Natsu and Gray had been through the place.

The blonde smiled at the antics of her teammates, her cheeks reddening just slightly when her thoughts were brought back to the pink-haired Pyro who still sat lazily at the bar, nursing his umpteenth serving of Fire whiskey.

Natsu knocked back his tenth glass before sliding it over to Mira and turning his attention back to the guildhall…specifically to a certain blonde who was making her way through the crowd with a tray in both hands and a brilliant smile.

For the millionth time that day, Natsu's stomach did a series of crazy flipps before his heart leapt into his throat before dropping to the pit of his belly where now the notorious butterflies were wreaking havoc.

"You need a minute there, Natsu?"

"Huh?"

Mira laughed. "You're just about to fall off your stool, do you need a minute?"

Just like that, the Dragon Slayer slipped and had to make a mad scramble for a second before regaining his balance and returning to his seat.

"Sorry, Mira I—maybe I'm getting a little tipsy."

"Hm, maybe. But I don't think it's the Fire Whiskey." She said with a wand smile and nodded in Lucy's direction.

Catching the hint, Natsu's cheeks reddened and he looked away. "I'm just, happy to see her, is all—not a big deal."

"Mmmhm. Sureeeee it's not."

"Mira…." Natsu whined, making her throw her head back and laugh.

"Oh com'on Natsu, get off it already; three months away and you're gonna tell me you're not _starved_ for Lucy? I can see it in your eyes, Hun—those are some _hungry, hungry_ eyes, whether you admit it or not. You've more than just 'missed' her."

"…I've been lost without her." He uttered softly, though not taking his eyes off the beautiful blonde who was chatting with Levy and Gajeel at a table near the bar.

Mira's eyes widened and she stared at Natsu. "Well—I wasn't expecting _that."_

Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous—hell, if Gray was here right now, he'd say it was more like _stupid."_ Natsu scoffed.

"Well he's not here right now so you can talk freely with me, Natsu; you know I wouldn't tell."

"I just don't know how to put it, Mira—I mean I—I spent two years fighting, eating and practically sleeping, with Lucy—"

"Ack!" Mira reared back.

"Gah! Not like _that!"_ Natsu exclaimed between gritted teeth. "I mean we've practically spent nearly every moment together and then all of a sudden, I'm going off on a mission _without_ her and not just a few days without her—three. Whole. Months. No Lucy."

Mira's eyes softened. "I can only imagine how weird that must have been for you—it must've been hard."

"It was the hardest part of my entire trial, Mira. Don't get me wrong, the S-Class mission in and of itself, was definitely a challenge but—compared to being there _without_ Lucy? It was nothing. I had NO idea what the hell I was getting myself into when it came to that—I never realized how much—I depend on her. How much I need her and—really, how much I just _want_ her around; I didn't know it until then."

"You are _so_ in love with her." Mira stated plainly, a smile on her lips as she looked at him.

"I'm _lost_ in love with her, Mira."

This confession had Mira once again, staring at him in shock.

"Okay. Who are you? And what have you done with the impossibly dense and clueless Natsu Dragneel?!"

Natsu threw his head back and howled with laughter. After he'd sobered somewhat, he flashed Mira a somewhat devious grin. "Yeah, yeah, I only had y'all _thinkin'_ I was dense and clueless; that was all a part of my plan." And he rubbed his hands together conspiratorially, cackling evilly.

"O—kay whatever it is, I don't want to know." Mira waved her hands dismissively and picked up another glass jar.

Natsu snickered at her before his eyes strayed again to his blonde beauty.

 _Wait. 'his' blonde beauty?_

"So? What are you thinkin? You gonna tell her?"

His eyes never left Lucy as he contemplated Mira's question. She really was something stunning in that cream-colored soft cotton backless blouse she was wearing and the baby blue knee length tulle skirt was definitely something new—she wasn't showing nearly as much flesh as before yet somehow, her figure was ten times more alluring to him.

"I don't know. I mean…I don't think Lucy could ever look at me like that, you know?"

At this, Mira nearly choked on the water she'd been sipping and after sputtering and coughing, she looked at Natsu. " _Trust me,_ She _definitely_ could."

She eyed him up and down, as if making a point and Natsu narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "What have you been up to, Ms. MiraJane? You know something I don't?"

Mira only pursed her lips, hiding a smile. "One never reveals their secrets, Natsu." And with that, she sashayed away, tossing a wink over her shoulder.

Two seconds later, Lucy was hurrying up to the bar with empty mugs and more drink orders. The trays clattered on the counter top and she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Mira? We have six more orders for beer and three orders for Lightening Lava, Frigid Ice and Rainwater."

"Alright, thanks Lucy! Why don't you take your break now and I'll handle it."

Lucy sagged against the bar, groaning. "Oh _thank the gods."_ She rolled her shoulders and massaged the places that ached as she took a minute to catch her breath.

She let out a startled, 'eep!' when she felt warm calloused hands replace hers and begin to gently massage the aching muscles.

She had knots in her neck as well but she didn't have to worry because soon, said hands began to work their way up the back of her neck, putting pressure on the areas that were tight.

"You're pretty tense there, Luce."

She stiffened, turned her head to the side and looked up.

Natsu stood over her, a light grin on his face as he continued to rub her shoulders and neck, applying the perfect pressure with the pads of his fingers.

"Your shoulders hurt a lot?"

She gave a little shrug. "A little bit more than usual—you know with the new job and all."

"Yeah I bet—wow, I can't believe you're workin' with Mira—that's pretty cool!" At this, Natsu flashed one of his signature grins and Lucy warmed at the familiarity.

She touched his hand and tilted back to look up at him. "You know, I've really missed—"

"Natsu!" Out of nowhere, Lisanna came barreling into Natsu's chest, knocking him several paces backwards.

"Oh Natsu you're back! I'm so glad, I was so so worried about you!" She nuzzled his chest then looked up at him. "And you've grown taller—I can't believe it!"

"O-Oh uh—yeah hey there, Lisanna, heh." He grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

All the while, Lucy looked on and she felt that familiar ache in her chest and lurching in the pit of her belly.

This is what she'd been afraid of; she'd hoped three months of him being away would help her put things back into perspective but seeing him again—so much stronger and changed—just brought all those feelings back full force and then seeing him with Lisanna? Well, Jealousy burned like a bitch.

Lucy shook her head and turned away from the pair painfully.

Just then, Mira walked out of the back room and seeing a distressed Lucy sitting at the bar, her eyes darted to where Natsu stood still trapped by an overly-excited Lisanna.

Her face fell and she shook her head sadly.

Walking up to the blonde, she gently laid a hand on her arm. "Lucy? Why don't you take the rest of the day off; Lisanna's here and she's due on the clock in about half an hour anyways."

Lucy looked up into Mira's face and seeing the older woman's sympathetic look, only hurt more—but she smiled in spite of it and thanked her.

"Thanks Mira—I'm sorry, I'm being ridiculous, I just—"

Mira shook her head. "No. No you're not—I completely understand and you have every right to feel the way you do."

She nodded once more in thanks before removing her apron and hanging it up in the back. Fetching her clutch purse and keys she slowly walked out from behind the bar.

She was heading for the door when a voice called from behind her. "H-Hey Luce, wait up!"

She flinched at the obvious exuberance emanating from his voice and walked a little faster in hopes that he'd just give up.

But that wasn't Natsu—he _never_ gave up and sure enough he caught up to her in three long strides before catching her by the hand.

"Hey I—"

"My shift is over. I'd—I'd really just like to go home and take a shower."

Her voice was small and she didn't look him in the eyes which was always a bad sign—something was wrong.

It had always been her tell and he smirked a little, proud that he still knew her so well.

"Hey…"

She turned around, putting on a brave face as she looked at him.

He just stared at her for a moment—she really was beautiful. Gorgeous even. No, stunning didn't even come close to accurately describing her. He'd always thought she was beautiful but back then—he never really dwelled on it. It just wasn't as important to him as other things like eating and fighting.

But now…he'd been away for three months. Maybe that was just what he needed to finally open his eyes and really see what was right in front of him all this time— _her._

He grinned down at her but it faded when she looked away without returning it.

Worry set in and without a word, he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

Lucy squeaked in surprise when she thudded against his chest and her arms hung limply at her sides.

"Are you okay?" He half-whispered into her hair, his arms tightening around her waist and shoulders.

Lucy smiled sadly. It would never matter how long they were apart, he'd always know her better than anyone ever could.

Slipping her arms around his waist, she hugged him back, closing her eyes and letting his intense warmth envelope her.

"Yeah…" She answered back softly.

"You sure? You seem not like yourself—like you're hurting." His voice sounded pained and she knew it was because he hated seeing her hurting.

"Natsu…really I'm just—I'm just tired."

He wasn't convinced but he let it go and his arms tightened around her.

"I missed you, Luce." He buried his face in her hair—gods, he always loved the way she smelled.

Like fresh strawberries and vanilla.

Lucy hugged him tighter. "I missed you too, Natsu."

"Not as much as I missed you."

"Really? I highly doubt that; at least you had Gajeel to keep you occupied."

"Are you kidding? That metal head's nothin' but a pain in the ass!"

Lucy giggled—still the same old Natsu.

"Yeah well I'm sure he's telling Levy the exact same thing about you." She pulled back just a bit to look in his eyes.

The Dragon Slayer's onyx eyes softened and warmed as he looked down at her.

"Oh you think so, huh?"

"I _know_ so, Natsu. You forget I'm your partner and I know these things better than anyone."

He smirked at this. "That's sure true—heh!" And the wide toothy grin reappeared.


	2. The Chase

A few days later, Lucy was just coming to the last hour of her shift at the bar when she noticed Mira had been giving her funny looks for the last two hours. After taking out an order to Gajeel and Levy's table, she made her way back to the bar and confronted the white-haired barmaid.

"Okay. What's with the look you've been giving me the last two hours? It's like you know something I don't."

Mira pressed her fingers to her lips, giggling. "Oh well maybe I do just that, Lucy."

"Well either you're gonna let me in on your little secret, Ms. Ma'am or you're gonna stop creeping me out."

Mira's eyes flickered to a quiet corner of the guild before returning to Lucy with a devious smirk on her lips.

"Don't look now but Natsu's been sitting at that table since noon and he hasn't taken his eyes off you for a second."

Lucy deadpanned. "Uhh Natsu? You must be mistaken Mira, Natsu doesn't leer at people—I don't think he even knows how." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, laughing lightly.

"Think what you want, Lucy but I'm telling you, the man's been ogling you for hours and I'm pretty sure he's been doing it on purpose."

She flounced away, leaving a very confused Lucy glimpsing over her shoulder at Natsu.

Her jaw hit the floor. Sure enough, there he was and he was looking straight at her, not even pretending to hide it.

The look in his eyes was odd; she'd caught Gajeel giving Levy that look sometimes…only then, she'd known exactly what it meant.

Coming from Natsu? She hadn't the faintest clue.

At least that's what she told herself.

She just about fell off her stool when Natsu winked and flashed her a devious grin.

What the hell had gotten into him?

Trying to shake it off, she moved back behind the bar and started wiping out some of the jars that MiraJane had washed.

She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't notice Levy bouncing over to the bar and hopping up on a stool.

"Okay, what's with you today?" The bluenette eyed her closely.

Lucy's head snapped up. "Oh! Levy, it's just you. You startled me."

"Yeeeah, you never get startled that easy; you seem jumpy today."

"I—I guess I'm just preoccupied." She offered an apologetic smile before setting the now-clean jar aside.

"What can I get for you?"

"Well a chocolate shake for starters and then you can tell me why Natsu's been pinning you with his possessive dragon stare all day."

"Ehh?!"

"Com'on Lucy you can't tell me you haven't noticed?! The guy hasn't moved from that table since noon!" She jutted a thumb over her shoulder.

"I _have_ noticed. But I'm confused because Natsu's never stared at me like _that—_ I mean honestly, it reminds me of the times I've seen Gajeel stare at you; it's the same look."

Levy's cheeks flushed pink. "R-really?"

Lucy stared at her in slight irritation. "Really Levy? You can't pull the naïve card on me; I know for a fact you're smarter than that. You've noticed."

"Yeah I guess I have I just—I don't want to get my hopes up, you know? Then I might ruin it!"

Lucy laughed at her friend. "Right, of course." She hid a smirk.

"But we're not talking about Me and Gajeel, we're talking about you and Natsu."

Lucy sobered at this. "There is no 'me and Natsu' Levy—there never has been. Not like that, anyway."

"How do you know? Honestly, I've seen you two getting together since the first day you joined his team! I mean it just makes sense! It's right!"

"It may seem like the most logical thing to everyone else but to me, it's—it's so much more complicated than that, Levy—I wish it were that simple."

Levy leaned in closer. "So then you do have feelings for him."

Lucy opened her mouth and was about to answer when a flash of white caught her eye.

Looking passed Levy, she saw Lisanna standing at Natsu's table talking to him and just like that, her mood plummeted and her walls went up again.

"Maybe I did once but that doesn't matter anymore."

Levy was a bit taken aback by her friend's sudden change in mood but when she spotted the young strauss girl with Natsu, suddenly everything fell into place.

"Oh Lucy…"

Lucy brushed it off. "It's fine Levy, really. I mean—I've only been here for two years and well—there's _others_ that were here before me and much longer. I don't really have the right to—think it would be any different, you know?"

Levy's face turned sad as she glanced back over her shoulder, biting her lower lip.

She then looked at Lucy and took her hand in hers. "Lucy…no one knows him like you do. You know that. She may have been here before you but then she was gone for years…the Natsu Lisanna thinks she knows, doesn't exist anymore."

Lucy tried to smile but her eyes watered with tears instead. "Ahh, Levy I just—I can't help but feel the way I feel; I know what you're saying makes sense but it's _not_ how I feel! I wish it were…"

Levy nodded in understanding, squeezing Lucy's hand comfortingly.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

Lucy smiled this time but shook her head. "No, you're already doing it."

Both girls smiled at each other just as Laxus strode up to the bar. "Oi what's goin' on?"

Lucy hurriedly brushed away the tears and Levy just looked at Laxus and shook her head.

The lightening Dragon Slayer eyed the upset blonde and then shook his head with a grunt. "If you ask me, that flame brain's an idiot."

Lucy snorted softly at this and gave him an appreciative smile. Laxus may be rough around the edges but he always made sure his family members were okay—even if it was in his own unique grumpy sort of way.

"Thank you, Laxus."

He shrugged it off. "No big deal. 'Sides, my offer to be my woman is still open…so if you're interested…" Laxus leaned heavily on the counter, letting a rare smirk spread across his mouth as he gave Lucy a suggestive wink.

"Laxus!" Levy exclaimed, back-handing his arm.

Lucy—surprisingly—laughed outright and walking around the bar, she tiptoed and gave Laxus a kiss on the cheek.

This little exchange did not go unnoticed by a certain Dragon Slayer whose hands clenched into fists as a low growl rumbled in his chest.

"Thank you, Laxus—but we _both_ know I'm not the woman you want." She gave a slight nod in the direction where Mira was serving some of the guild members with that ever-present brilliant smile on her face.

Lucy smirked knowingly when Laxus' eyes caught sight of the eldest Strauss, causing him to blush furiously.

"W-whatever." He crossed his arms and looked away but the vibrant pink hue never left his cheeks.

Lucy giggled at his obvious discomfort. "Well I'm out for the night. Walk with me, Levy?"

The bluenette beamed. "Of course, Lucy!"

With a final wave to Laxus over her shoulder, Lucy linked arms with Levy and the two best friends traipsed out of the guild.

# # # #

"Honestly, I don't know how you haven't grabbed and kissed the hell out of him already!"

"Levy!" The girls were half-way down Strawberry Street and Levy already had Lucy's face redder than a cherry and a steady flow of steam coming out of her ears.

"I'm serious! I mean you're head over heels for the guy AND he just got back from a three-month mission that's turned him into a hunk!"

"Oh god…" Lucy hid her face from Levy; the embarrassment was becoming too much to handle!

"I should…never have told you about this." She exclaimed while unlocking the door to her apartment and hurrying inside.

But Levy was undeterred and merely through her head back and laughed as she followed Lucy inside.

"Hey, it's always worked in all the novels I've read; amazing girl falls for handsome-but-incredibly clueless guy and just when she thinks all hope is lost of him ever noticing how she feels, all it takes is an impulsive kiss and…poof!" She snapped her fingers.

"Instant fiery passion ensues."

Lucy's hands shook as she set the teapot on the stove. "Honestly, Levy you're forgetting something. Those are NOVELS. Just like you said. That's nothing but fantasy. This is reality and things like that, don't happen in our world."

Catching sight of a tuft of pink just outside Lucy's window, Levy grinned evilly to herself and hopped off the counter.

"Ohh I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Lucy eyed her suspiciously but Levy just smiled back innocently.

"Well you believe what you will, Dear; I'm going to take a shower while that boils." And off to the bathroom she went, closing the door behind her.

Levy waited until she heard the water running before scurrying to the window and throwing it wide open.

"Natsu—com'on!" She hissed so as not to be heard. "She just went to take a shower—hurry up!" Stepping aside, she let the Dragon Slayer swing his now-very-tall lithe body through the window before closing and locking it behind him.

Natsu's signature grin reached all the way to his ears but there was a glint of mischief behind it. "Thanks, Levy; I owe you one."

Levy waved him off. "Oh you don't owe me anything except sweeping Lucy off her feet!"

Natsu grinned wider and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Damn straight!"

Levy wished him luck before letting herself out of the apartment.

She knew Lucy would probably catch onto her involvement in this—eventually. She'd probably deliver her famous 'Lucy kick!' but to Levy, it was more than worth it to finally see her friend get the happy ending she so deserved.

She could only hope and pray that Natsu's time away had done wonders for his mental abilities as well and that he wouldn't screw this up.

# # # #

When Lucy walked out of the bathroom donned in a fluffy white towel, she was a little surprised to find the apartment empty—no Levy?

Hmm. It was unusual for her bluenette friend to just disappear without saying goodbye—but then again maybe something urgent came up…like a certain determined Iron Dragon Slayer?

Lucy giggled to herself; as much as Levy was so certain about Lucy's love life, she was perfectly oblivious to her own it seemed.

As Lucy rounded the corner to the kitchen, she let out a surprised yelp, nearly knocking over a table top lamp in the process.

"N-Natsu?!"

But the tall, muscular pinkette said nothing as he stalked towards her.

"You idiot you nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell are you even doing here?!"

Still no response—only onyx eyes pinning her with a kind of fierce intensity she'd never seen before and before she knew it, she was being backed into a wall with Natsu's large hands caging her in on either side of her head.

"Okay, what—what are you d-doing Natsu?"

"I saw you."

So the Dragon Slayer speaks after all.

Relaxing slightly, she straightened up and looked at him quizzically. "What? What do you mean, you 'saw' me?"

"At the guild. I saw you—I was watching you the whole time, Luce—but you didn't even look at me. Then Laxus comes out of nowhere and you…" His brows pulled together in a dark scowl and he gritted his teeth.

Now, Lucy was starting to get a little nervous; what the hell had gotten into him all of a sudden? He was usually all chaos and wide toothy grins when he broke into her apartment….not stony expressions and straining tempers.

"Natsu you're—what's going on with you?"

"That's funny—I was just about to ask you the same thing, Luce; what _is_ going on with you?"

"Nothing! You're the one who's acting all macho and territorial all of a sudden! Weirder than you normally are."

"Would you just stop avoiding it?!" He snapped at her.

Natsu never snapped at her.

She shrank back, her brown eyes timid and wary. "Natsu, stop it, you're scaring me."

He caught the mild terror in her eyes and he cursed inwardly.

Damn it! These swirling emotions had been overtaking him ever since he got back and saw her again; it was like everything he did, felt or said was all driven by instinct—he couldn't seem to control a damn thing! He'd always been impulsive but that was because he wanted to be.

This? Whatever the hell this was, was driving him over the edge insane and what's worse is it all centered around her—his best friend, his partner.

He wanted her but it went far beyond that. He couldn't sleep, eat or hardly even think straight without wondering where she was at every given moment, what she was doing and who she was with.

It drove him mad when any of the other male guild members even went near her but it was way worse when they actually stopped to talk to her…he hated the attention she gave them.

It wasn't right.

He was the only one who should have her attention. All of it and damn it, it wasn't fair!

Lucy didn't help matters either when all she did was avoid him like the plague.

Just what was up with her anyway?

They'd been so close for two years then he leaves for just three months, comes back and now—now this?!

"You can't even hardly look at me anymore, Lucy. Why?"

She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. "It's nothing, you're over-analyzing it."

His anger flared—damn this temper; the littlest things set him off now!

"Look at me, Lucy."

His voice was even but there was a dangerous edge to it that had Lucy's heart dropping when her eyes darted upwards to meet his.

"You need to stop lying to me especially when you know I can hear your breath hitch and your heart racing."

Lucy cringed.

Natsu's eyes softened and he let one hand slip from the wall and come to rest on her shoulder. "Why are you suddenly doing everything you can to run away from me, Luce? I don't get what you're so afraid of—is it—is it me?"

"I'm not—I'm not running from you, Natsu."

"Get off it, Lucy—Grr!—stop lying!" He shouted at her but it didn't faze Lucy and she shouted back.

"I'M NOT RUNNING FROM YOU!"

"YES YOU ARE! CUT THE BULLSHIT ALREADY, JUST TELL ME—"

"I'M RUNNING FROM ME, YOU IDIOT!"

Natsu's eyes widened and a gasp fell from his parted lips.

He just stared at her. Complete confusion written across his face.

"Lucy…"

"Yeah, I know—it's stupid and doesn't make any sense." She let out a heavy sigh and sagged against the wall."

"I just—you were gone for three months, Natsu. Then you come back and instead of the obnoxious, careless and extremely annoying _boy_ I knew, there's this—this _man_ in front of me." She averted her eyes as she spoke and her cheeks flushed a bright pink.

"This strong—powerful, handsome and confident _man_ and I just—I was blown away!" She shook her head, staring at the floor between them but her cheeks grew hotter as she felt Natsu's eyes on her.

"I was blown away because suddenly I—I _felt_ so—s-so strange and I don't know I just couldn't deal with it!"

Natsu's cheeks reddened when she'd called him 'powerful' and 'handsome'; he knew Lucy always believed in him, he never doubted that. But he _didn't_ know she looked at him with so much awe, nor the fact that she actually found him attractive—that was definitely a new one!

"So yeah, maybe I was running from you in a way but mostly, I've just been trying to avoid myself because I—I'm just really confused and—"

Suddenly, Natsu's hands had her by the shoulders and his onyx eyes smoldered and then blazed to life as he looked down at her.

He loved her. He already knew as much but until now, he'd had no idea what to do with it or even if she could ever feel the same way—Mira had tried to convince him as much but he never took anything she said very seriously; Mira was always trying to hook somebody up, most times he figured her 'intuition' was born out of desperation.

But now…now he wasn't so sure. All he knew was that something was burning deep inside of him; something powerful and heated and the more he looked at the blonde woman before him, the hotter the fire inside of him burned.

"Lucy—Gods, Lucy how can you be so stupid?" He crushed his mouth onto hers.

Lucy's eyes went wide open and her body froze as the taste of cinnamon and fire scorched her mouth.

 _Natsu…Natsu tasted like fire and cinnamon. Who would've thought?_

The fire part definitely made sense—the cinnamon? Somehow fit so perfectly that she couldn't even bring herself to wonder where that taste came from.

Suddenly, something snapped in her head.

Natsu was kissing her.

Natsu. Her partner. Her dense, idiotic, clueless-about-everything partner, was kissing her.

And damn was it _hot!_

She felt his lips break away from hers just enough for him to speak. "You—are so stupid." He breathed huskily before devouring her mouth again—this time, pinning her to the wall with one hand pressed to her stomach and the other locking both her hands above her head in a tight grasp.

She couldn't hardly breathe—this was too much!

The pressure of his hand against her stomach

The hardness of the wall at her back

The way he pinner her hands above her head, giving him complete access to body

The fire in his kiss, making her feel like her insides would explode at any moment from the overwhelming heat!

Too much—w _ay too much!_

She managed to twist her head to the side, breaking the kiss.

She gasped for air as her vision blurred with tears from the lack of oxygen.

"Na—Natsu what—what on Earthland?"

"I can't believe—how stupid you are, Lucy; seriously? Running from me but—you're actually running from yourself, are you kidding me?! That's gotta be the—dumbest thing I've ever heard."

He pressed his forehead to the crown of her head, breathing heavily from the exertion of their kiss—there was a smirk on his face though.

"You don't get it. You never do." She huffed back.

"You know what I really don't get?"

"What?" She had a feeling she was gonna regret asking.

"Is that you—you actually thought you could get away with it; running from me, I mean. Sure you did a pretty good job of avoiding me and coming up with relatively reasonable excuses but—you had to have known I'd catch on eventually."

This caused Lucy to bristle and her pink lips curved into a frown. "You know, not everything is always about you, Natsu. There are some things that don't concern you so maybe you should think about that before running your goddamn mouth."

With that, she glared at him darkly and pushed out of his arms.

"Hey—wait just a minute, I didn't—"

"No. I don't care, Natsu. I don't care, okay? I was trying to be honest with you; tell you how I felt and then you just—hall off and kiss me to distract me and then you have the nerve to mock me?!"

Natsu's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You really think that's why I kissed you?! Lucy what in the hell—com'on, you know me better than that!"

She whirled around, nostrils flaring and brown eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "Exactly my point! I know you, Natsu; I know you well enough that you don't even know what a kiss means and beyond that, you've never had the slightest clue of what it means to have that kind of affection for someone so yes, you kissing me was a tactic because that's all you know. You always think in terms of strategies—what's the best way to get what you need or want. Even when it comes to making fun of someone, that's always what you go for; you find their weakest point and you strike." Her bottom lip quivered and tears gathered in her eyes now as she spoke.

She was passed the anger—now it was just pure raw hurt.

"You don't realize it but when you put your mind to it—sometimes you're the cruelest person I've—ever met." The tears spilled over just before she turned away.

Her words cut deeper than any blade—the most painful was because he finally understood them. Every single thing she'd said, was clear as day and it was like a fog had been lifted and everything about Lucy clicked together in a perfect sequence that made absolute sense to him.

She was hurt because after years of him being nothing but a clueless idiot, he was suddenly showing a side of himself that she'd been hoping for—dreaming for—but as usual, his arrogance had gotten in the way and instead of showing her his feelings, he'd made her feel cheap and easy.

It had been such an innocent action—but when he looked at it from her perspective, it was cheap and it was low.

Not only that, but he'd failed to see that she'd been the one who cared for him all this time and because of his idiocy, he'd inadvertently used that against her—her 'greatest weakness'—it was him.

It always had been and he saw that clearly now.

Damn it. He'd really screwed this up.

"Luce…"

She refused to look at him. She kept her back to him, hugging herself as little cries shook her petite frame.

He tried again. "Lucy—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—I mean I didn't think—aghh!" He ran frustrated hands through his hair.

"Look you're right; I'm an idiot and an ass. I'm not denyin' that but you've gotta believe me when I tell you I never meant to hurt you like this. Luce, I would never! You know me!"

She wiped furiously at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Awh com'on Luce—please, don't do this." He took a step towards her, halting when her shoulders stiffened.

"I've never been the smartest guy and you know that—everyone does. But I've always done my best…and fought my hardest to protect my family—and to keep you safe, Luce, that's all I've ever wanted!"

"If-*sniffle*-if that's all you've ever cared about—then you shouldn't have k-kissed me like that Natsu. That was low."

"No, Luce…you…it's not…that's just it; I _thought_ that's all I cared about. Until I left three months ago—left _you."_

Her breathing hitched and suddenly, she was hanging on every word.

"I never—stopped thinking about you, Luce; not even for a second. Even when we were training—or fighting for real—my mind was always consumed with you! I couldn't understand it at the time—and then Gajeel knocked me over the head one day and told me if I didn't figure it out by now, then I was an idiot because I'd end up losing the single most important and best thing that's ever happened to me."

Lucy slowly turned around and stared at him. "He—Gajeel?"

Natsu's face lit up with a grin. "Yeah, ain't that something? Ole' bucket of bolts actually caught on way ahead of me, heh!" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I—wow."

"The thing is, what he said to me that day, was swirlin' around in my head ever since but it didn't make sense to me—until the day we got back."

"And—why was that exactly?" Lucy's voice was small and tentative as she took a hesitant step towards him.

He stared at the floor, his cheeks reddening for a moment. Then he slowly raised passion-filled eyes to hers. "Because that's when—I saw you."

Lucy was speechless.

"The minute I saw you, it all made sense to me, Luce. It clicked. And that's when I knew—I knew it had been there all along and I'd been such a fool to have missed it."

He was in front of her now but all Lucy could do was just stare up into his eyes, wordlessly.

"I—but I thought—that Lisanna and you—"

"Huh?" Natsu squinted his eyes. Lisanna? Where the hell did that come from?

"Well I've seen the way she looks at you and—well I thought that you—"

Natsu pulled her into a tight hug, crushing her against his chest and breathing in her glorious scent of strawberries.

"You idiot." He breathed into her hair; the devastating heat returning to his voice.

"You really are—so stupid, Luce." Again, he captured her lips, swallowing up her protests as he held her flush against him, enjoying the way her body quivered against his.

"N-Natsu—w-we shouldn't." she uttered half-heartedly.

Natsu shook his head, ignoring her completely and never breaking the kiss.

"Natsu—you didn't—answer me—"

"Shut up." He commanded but there was a smirk on his lips as he pressed them eagerly to hers once again.

She finally let out a strangled moan which only spurred Natsu's passion and once again, he pinned her against the wall, tilting her chin up so he could ravage her mouth more deeply.

"Gods, Lucy…" He breathed hotly into her mouth, causing tendrils of pleasure coiling up her spine.

"Nnn…Noooo!" She gasped, whirling out of his reach.

But she wasn't fast enough. Natsu caught up to her in a single long stride and taking hold of her arm, he spun her around again, locking both hands behind her back with his own as he dove in for another scorching kiss.

Lucy fought back—but barely. He could tell she really didn't want him to stop but for some crazy reason, she kept resisting, half-hearted though it was.

She was pulling out of the kiss again and twisting her head away but this only gave Natsu access to an entirely different venue of seduction.

Her slender throat was now laid bare to him and a growl of pleasure rumbled in his chest as he licked his lips hungrily.

Bowing his head, his lips latched onto her pule point and suckled greedily.

Lucy hissed sharply and then another moan tumbled out after. "Ahhn! Don't—gods, please Natsu…!"

His lips stilled and he smirked rakishly. "That's right, Lucy— _beg me."_ He trailed open-mouthed kisses to her shoulder, nipping her tender flesh here and there as he went until finally, he reached the juncture of her shoulder where he raked his sharpened fangs over the tender flesh, dying to plunge his teeth into her.

Lucy's hand squirmed in his iron grip—she couldn't stand being held down and he knew it.

"Natsu—p-please let go of my hands."

"Mmm, no…not yet, Luce." He purred, sucking firmly on her shoulder until he left a dark purplish mark in his wake.

"That's better…I'm gonna mark you— _all over,_ Lucy."

She shuddered as another wave of pleasure raced up her spine. Gods, did he have any idea what he was doing to her? The pure, sweet, painful torture?!

"Natsu—I—please! Let my—I n-need my—h-hands!"

In the next second, his fingers loosened and her hands were free; her first thought had been to push him away but her hands had other ideas.

The instant they collided with his rock hard chest, she was moaning wantonly and her nails clawed and scraped across his bronzed skin, greedily.

She needed to feel every inch of him.

His vest—she couldn't get to all of his shoulders. That had to go.

She pushed it off his shoulders hurriedly, not paying much mind if it tore in the process.

Once that was on the floor her hand returned once again to their perusal of his muscled body.

She traced the corded muscles of his arms, from his wrists, all the way to his shoulders—then her hands moved to inwards, brushing against his scaled scarf.

Damn it, more material?!

Taking hold of the end, she pulled until the scarf unraveled from around his neck.

She was about to dispense it on the floor but an idea occurred to her and with a sultry smirk, she took hold of both ends and tugged roughly, pulling him to her and molding her lips to his.

Natsu's hands gripped her waist—his fingers would doubtlessly leave bruises but she didn't care.

It was sexy to her.

Natsu wasn't satisfied, yet; hands falling to her hips, he pulled them flush against his own, needing to feel every inch of her pressed up against his body.

She was so soft; every curve of her body melted into his and it only made his mouth go dry with thirst and hunger for more.

"L-Lucy—I—gods!" His tongue plundered her mouth, tasting the hot wetness of her cavern and moaning with lust and need.

"Natsu! You're—I can't—what—what are you—d-doing to me!?" A mewl tumbled from her quivering lips just as her legs gave way.

Natsu's reflexes were quick as always and he caught her around the waist, supporting her weight against him as he took a handful of her blonde tresses and tugged her head back to deepen the kiss.

Lucy's neck ached from the sharp angle but she ignored it; his lips were just far too delicious and adept at making her body do all sorts of crazy things, it was way too addicting!

And when his tongue pushed passed her lips only to swirl hotly and sensuously with her own, the euphoria was only heightened and she was left moaning and in wanton desire.

Her hands clung to his shoulders, desperate to keep herself upright as he ravaged her mouth.

"Mmm—Mmmnn—N-Natsu I can't take it—any-m-more!" And once again, she was pulling away from him—for the sheer need of air, if for nothing else.

Stumbling on shaky legs, she managed to reach the kitchen counter before collapsing to the floor on her knees, gasping for air and begging her heartbeat to slow.

Natsu stood in his place for a moment—his own legs were wobbly as he took in huge gulps of air and fought to steady his breathing.

It was fucking hard though; Lucy had an effect on him. A crazy, wild out-of-control effect that he couldn't resist; any time he was near her, he wanted to touch her.

And any time he touched her, he craved her taste.

He was such a goner. He knew it, there was no denying this woman before him.

Even as she sat on the floor—a heap of tightly wound nerves and raging hormones—with her back to him, he still couldn't smother his need for her. His want for her.

It still raged on.

"Lucy…" He breathed her name. Gods, he loved her name, it was so perfect, so beautiful and innocent.

Just like her.

Yet from the last half hour or so, he was discovering there was a whole other side to Lucy and that side was anything BUT innocent.

Lucy put up a hand. "Just—stay there. I can't—I need to breathe." She huffed.

Like always though, Natsu either didn't hear her or just plain decided to ignore her.

"Luce—come here." He took a step towards her and held a hand down to her.

Lucy looked at the hand then up into his eyes.

The fires of passion were still smoldering in those Onyx depths; she could tell.

Gripping the edge of the counter, she managed to pull herself up on her own and she was careful to keep her back to him; one more look at those eyes and she knew she'd be a goner again.

"It's fine I—I think I can manage."

Natsu noticed how carefully she avoided him and he frowned. "Luce don't pull away from me now—I need you."

Her head whipped to the side sharply. "Natsuuu…" she whined. "Don't. You don't…just don't."

She walked around him but Natsu's fists clenched; he wasn't giving up.

Turning on his heel, he came at her from behind, wrapping a strong arm around her middle and pulling her back flush against him.

Lucy let out a surprised squeak and then a gasp when both of Natsu's hands cupped her breasts though her shirt and began kneading them.

His fingers pinched and twisted the tender peaks, elicting strangled, waton moans and surprised gasps from Lucy who arched her back, forcing herself deeper into his hands.

He smirked against the shell of her ear, whispering hotly to her.

"Just let me—touch you, Lucy. Let me feel you—I know you want me to.

Another moan as she bit hard on her bottom lip.

"Don't you?"

Lucy could barely form words, only a weak nod of her head in answer.

Natsu shook his head. "Uh-uh, that's not an answer, Lucy." He squeezed her breasts then barely grazed the taught peaks with the palms of his hands.

Lucy let out a cry, thrusting her chest further into his hands but he suddenly pulled away and instead held her by the shoulders.

"If you don't tell me what you want—then I'm gonna stop. I won't touch you—at all."

Lucy let out a frustrated whimper, her teeth pulling painfully at her lower lip until she drew blood.

Natsu's hands from her shoulders and came to rest just below the curve of her breasts but his touch was feather-light and he didn't move his hands any higher.

"If you want me—to touch you—then _say it."_ He commanded dangerously, his hands gripping her tightly.

"I—I want you to."

"Say it. _Say it, Lucy."_

With one last frustrated groan and thrash of her head, she let out a cry. _"I WANT YOU TO TOUCH ME!"_

That was all he needed and the next instant, his hands were palming her breasts, massaging and kneading them so thoroughly he thought her nipples just might tear right through the fabric of her shirt.

One hand left her breast and wrapped around the back of her neck, turning her face towards his. He captured her lips in a bruising kiss, all the while maintaining his ministrations to her other breast.

He loved how her body keened and writhed against his—the feeling of her hips grinding against his was deliciously maddening; he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it before tearing her out of her clothes.

"Luce—you're so—fucking hot."

She whimpered against his lips, her body keening again as he flicked her pert nipple with his fingers.

"N-Natsu! F-f-fabric—too much—ah—off."

"You want it off?" He breathed against her ear.

"Yes! Oh gods, yes, right now, please! I—n-n-need to—f-f-feel you."

Taking a half step back, Natsu gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

His eyes blazed when they landed on the lacy sky blue bra that barely held supported her ample bosom and he licked his lips hungrily, eager to take those delectable mounds into his mouth.

Stepping up to her, he slowly brought his lips closer to hers.

When he was just inches away, his hands slipped up her back, undoing the clasp of her bra and letting it fall to the floor.

Lucy squeaked, her face going redder than a tomato as she now stood bare before him.

Natsu didn't give her much time to be embarrassed however, as he suddenly sank to his knees before her and took one milky white mound into his mouth.

Lucy gasped then moaned.

Her fingers tangled themselves into his hair and she pulled his face further against her, desperate for the feel of his wet mouth against her sensitized skin.

"Ahh…Na—tsuuu…don't stop. Please don't stop." She begged, looking down at him with half-lidded lust-filled eyes.

Natsu's eyes were dark with passion as he let go of her breast with a soft pop and took the other into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the pink taught peak, eliciting mewls and sighs from the Celestial mage who now pulled and tugged painfully on his wild Salmon locks.

He didn't mind it though; the pain was dull and erotic, only adding to the hot coil of need that tightened in the pit of his stomach.

Gods, he needed her…more of her…oh so much more.

His eyes caught slip of lace peaking just above the waist band of her skirt and he let out a loud moan.

"Gods Lucy—you and your lace; every damn under thing you wear—it's all lace." His tongue flicked out, lapping at the sensitive skin of her hip just before catching the material of her skirt between his teeth.

Lucy stared down at him wide-eyed, her chest heaving up and down with labored breaths.

Then the tearing of fabric was heard as Natsu literally tore the offending garment away with his teeth.

His eyes never left hers and when she gasped at the action, he grinned at her rakishly. "Don't worry, I'll buy you another one."

Lucy bit her lower lip, her eyes gazing wantonly into his.

"Now." His eyes feasted on the skimpy lacy underwear that did very little to conceal her freshly shaved womanhood from his view.

He curiously brushed a thumb across her soaked center, relishing the way her legs quivered in response to his touch.

"Gods, you're so wet Lucy—so wet. And all—for me—"His mouth hovered over her core and he was just about to take a taste, when the phone went off in the other room.

Lucy groaned painfully. "Ugh… _seriously?!"_

Natsu's shoulders sagged and his head fell forward, pressing against her thigh. He let out a frustrated sigh as he felt Lucy shift above him.

"Don't—ugh, okay, I'll be right back, don't move." She gripped his face between her hands, giving him a hasty kiss as she ran for the phone. "I'll be right back."

Natsu let her go reluctantly, letting out an irritated grunt.

Staying where he was, he sharpened his senses and listened intently to the sounds coming from the other room.

Lucy picked up the phone and he picked up another female voice on the other line.

It was deeper than Lucy's and a bit curt.

Erza.

"Erza? Yeah I'm here, what's up? Um yeah actually, he's here with me right now. What do you need?" Lucy ambled over to the doorway and leaned against the door frame, absently twirling the phone cord around her fingers as she listened to Erza.

From what Natsu gathered, it sounded like Gramps had a special mission for them; it must be important because he heard both Gajeel and Levy's name mentioned.

"Yeah. Okay well it definitely sounds important—yeah no, no it's fine it's just—no really, Erza I mean I—"

She let out a gasp, feeling Natsu's lips brush against the back of her neck, on his way passed to pick up his vest off the floor.

Lucy suppressed a frustrated groan as he redressed.

"Yeah we'll be there in a bit. Yeah don't worry Erza, tell Master we're coming. Okay bye."

Letting the phone drop back on its hook, Lucy groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands.

She felt warm, calloused fingers wrap around her wrists, pulling her hands away.

She looked up to see Natsu looking down at her in frustration and sympathy.

"I know, I know; we've got a mission."

"Yeeeah. I'm sorry I—"Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she looked down at the floor.

"Hey." He cupped her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault." Brushing his lips against her forehead, he lingered for a moment longer before bowing his head and placing the sweetest kiss to her jawline.

"D-damn you." She sighed, stretching her arms up and wrapping them around his neck.

Natsu chuckled, smugly, giving her a rakish grin. "At least we'll get to be together. And we can fight side-by-side—like always."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "Do you ever think about anything other than a fight?"

At this, Natsu gave her the most devastating smile and her knees turned to jello.

"Damn straight, I do."

And as they walked out the door, Natsu gave Lucy a firm, playful smack to the ass, causing her to jump and squeal in surprise.

He winked at her and another rakish grin spread across his face when he saw the red tinging her cheeks and the shy, pretty smile gracing her lips.


	3. Mission

It had been nearly impossible for the pretty blonde to focus on the mission briefing…

She could feel his onyx eyes boring into her from the other side of the room and every time she chanced a glance in his direction, her cheeks would flame at the intensity of his stare and her honey brown eyes flickered away.

What made it worse is that her bluenette friend, Levy noted her skittish behavior and reddening cheeks and constantly inquired if she was feeling alright.

Lucy would laugh nervously, plastering on a forced casual smile and reassure her that she was fine.

Once the briefing ended, the group—which consisted of Erza, Gray, Lucy, Levy, Gajeel and Natsu—headed off to pack.

They all met at the train station and began their journey to Clover Town.

Apparently there had been a series of unexplained kidnappings of beautiful young women in the village and the authorities had no leads; no evidence had been left behind—not a trace of clothing, hair, DNA…not even a fingerprint. The Townspeople were borderline paranoid and after a mild outbreak of hysteria the week before, the town officials had unanimously decided that this was the work for a Guild of competent wizards to handle.

When they'd contacted Master Makarov, the old man was wrought with sympathy and had immediately put together a team of his best wizards and assigned them with the task.

"We'll have to traverse the last twelve or so miles on foot." Erza informed, scrutinizing the mission flyer in her hand.

"It will be close to nightfall once we reach the station but I doubt we'll find room at any inn—lodgings are scarce until we reach Clover Town."

"Well that's why we packed tents, remember? Gramps told us to be prepared." Natsu was laying across one of the benches with his fingers locked behind his head and his eyes closed. He was still prone to motion sickness but he'd found a way to manage it which made it more bearable; at least he wasn't prostrated on the floor spilling his guts every five minutes.

Lucy was seated across the Ile with Levy and Gajeel and her honey brown eyes once again strayed to her pink-haired Pyro.

She still couldn't believe what had happened—well, what had _almost_ happened. If they hadn't been called in for a mission then who knows what would've…

The blond shook her head vigorously; she couldn't think about that now. Not when Natsu was laying less than foot away from her in all of his bronzed, muscled glory….

"Like what you see, Luce?" A throaty chuckle ripped her from her thoughts and her eyes flickered to Natsu who was laying there as calm as ever, smirking from ear-to-ear.

The blonde flushed with embarrassment and she turned away abruptly, muttering, "Don't be ridiculous" under her breath.

Natsu's grin only widened.

They reached the station at half passed seven and once they'd unloaded their luggage, they began the long, arduous twelve mile walk to Clover Town.

When night fell, they'd set up camp near a river and once Gray and Natsu had set up the girls' and boys' tents, they went off with Gajeel in tow, in search of wood for the fire.

When Natsu disappeared from view, Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Lucy…are you okay?"

It was Levy. "I'm fine, Levy-chan I just—"

Her words cut off when she caught the evil smirk her best friend was trying to hide.

"Oh. My god. You know!" She gasped, dragging Levy into the privacy of their tent.

"I what?"

Lucy scowled. "Oh don't give me that look, Levy…you…you know about me and Natsu…you planned it, didn't you?!"

Levy smiled guiltily, earning frustrated groan from her friend.

"Don't be mad, Lucy I just—you were a wreck! You couldn't hardly look at him, much less muster up the courage to actually _talk_ to him and jeeze, he couldn't figure out why you were avoiding him and it was driving him insane! He came to me so…I helped."

She bit her lip nervously, avoiding the blonde's fiery gaze.

Lucy sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. "I'm…I'm not _mad_ I just—I'm so confused! Eveything is so complicated now and it's all…happening so fast I just—"

"Whoa, whoa, _fast?_ Lucy, you and Natsu have been dancing around this for three freaking years! I'd say its about time he jumped your bones, the guy's as slow as a snail and denser than a rock!"

Lucy snorted at her friend's comical description of Natsu's personality.

"He's—he's less dense than he makes himself out to be." She stated carefully.

"He's so carefree, Levy and he definitely has no clue when it comes to _appropriately_ expressing himself…but he's very intuitive…he…it's actually scary how intuitive he is." She bit her lip, her cheeks reddening when the memory of Natsu's touch flooded her head.

He'd known exactly where to touch her to get the most reaction—his caresses were well thought out and purposeful—he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Wow, Lucy…you've…I mean I always had a feeling that you were in love with him but…the look on your face right now? It's crazy."

Lucy met her friend's eyes and the smile Levy gave her sent her trembling with nerves and excitement.

"God, I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do, Lev!"

Just then, the two heard boisterous male voices outside and they shared a look; the boys— _men—_ were back.

"Well…there's no better time to find out than right now." Levy said softly and she offered Lucy her hand.

The blonde put on a brave smile, taking the offered hand and followed Levy out of the tent.

Tonight would prove to be full of unexpected surprises.

#####################################

Hope you liked this one! The next chapter is guaranteed to have plenty of NatsuLucy fluff so stay tuned!


	4. First Watch

After dinner, it had been decided that at least one person should keep watch at all times in case of marauders being in the area. After all, the kidnappings had been occurring only a week apart and considering they had three beautiful young women in their group, the Fairy Tail Wizards didn't want to take any chances.

"I'll take the first watch." Lucy had volunteered, knowing she wouldn't get any sleep anyway—her mind was racing at top speed.

Erza nodded, declaring she'd take second shift at midnight and the rest of them retired to their tents.

Excusing herself briefly, Lucy walked down to the river where she refilled her canteen and splashed a bit of water on her face and neck.

She had to focus—she couldn't be distracted with thoughts of Natsu right now.

Pulling off her thigh high suede boots, she dipped her feet in the river and sighed at the cooling relief on her aching feet.

Replacing her shoes, she stood up to her full height and brushed the dirt off her black legging-clad legs before stretching her arms above her head.

She was just about to head back when someone pulled her from behind by the waist. She was just about to scream when she felt the hot skin of of a large hand wrap around her wrist.

 _Natsu._

She looked up into his onyx eyes and let out a shuddering breath.

"Damn it, Natsu you s _cared the hell out of me!"_

He smirked. "Did I? Eh, you've been so jumpy today, I wouldn't be surprised if a chirping bird scared you." He pulled her from the riverbank and back into the woods, never letting go of her hand.

"I have not been j-jumpy!" She hissed defensively. "But you sneaking up on me in the dead of night doesn't help at all!"

He suppressed the urge to laugh and settled for squeezing her hand as the light from the campfire came back into view. They had almost reached the clearing when Suddenly, Naruto stopped and turned around to face her.

"Well thank you _kindly_ but I'm fine now. I've got first watch so…you can go back to bed now."

She was just about to settle against a nearby tree when Naruto's smoldering voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Who said I was going back to bed?"

She glanced up at him and there was a smile on his face that nearly had her knees buckling.

"I—well w-what else would you be doing?" she stumbled over her words, unknowingly causing her teammate's grin to widen.

"Maybe I just wanted to see you—maybe I couldn't wait to get you _alone_ again." He stepped into her space, his warm breath kissing her cheek as he gazed down at her, his black eyes liquidated with lust and desire.

"N-Natsu I—we shouldn't—"

His hand slipped from her wrist and up her arm, resting on her shoulder.

She bit back a sigh. "We—w-we can't, not right now, we're—"

"Luce, do you have _any_ idea how much it's been killing me that I can't be with you? We get called on this _damn_ mission and I can't even—can't even anticipate a good fight because all I can think about is how you're gonna be fighting right beside me the whole time—yet I can't even touch you."

Lucy let out a shuddering breath, unconsciously backing away from him until her back pressed into the tree. "We're on a mission, Natsu."

"I know."

Mustering her courage, she managed to tilt her head back enough to look up into his smoldering eyes.

"So we can't afford to be d-distracted." She pleaded just above a whisper.

Natsu smirked, cupping her cheek with his free hand, lost in the look of longing that swirled in her honey depths.

"Baby, I'm _already distracted_." And he dipped his head, capturing her lips in a slowly smoldering kiss that left her breathless.

She knew she should push him away—they were risking being seen by their friends and neither one of them wanted the hassel of the Guild gossip…at least not now.

But the more his hands slid up and down her arms and the closer his body moved into her space, the more the logical part of her brain shut down.

She failed at suppressing a soft moan and it served to be her downfall when Natsu sharply inhaled and gripped her slim waist with his hands, pulling her against him.

Wrapping an arm tightly around her, his other hand came to rest against the side of neck and he tilted her head back a little further so he could deepen the kiss; now that he was so tall, Lucy felt so tiny and delicate in his arms and it was odd when the top of her head now only barely reached his shoulder.

Getting used to her being so tiny was something that would take time but he didn't mind—he liked her better this way—he felt like he could shield her in his arms and nothing would be able to touch her.

He liked that feeling and Lucy seemed to as well as he felt her body wiggle a bit as she snuggled into him a bit more.

Lucy could feel her neck screaming in protest from the sharp angle but she ignored it; Natsu's lips tasted way too sinful for her to care about anything else.

Natsu buried his nose in her golden locks and inhaled. "God, Luce…you smell so damn good."

A shiver ran down her spines when his hot breath ghosted across her forehead.

"Na—Natsu you—I c-can't—you're killing me!" She gasped, hands sliding up his muscled arms to grip his shoulders.

Natsu smirked devilishly. "That's the idea, Lucy." His lips descended to her throat, relishing the taste of her tender flesh and smirking triumphantly when she shivered, sighed and moaned in ecstasy.

Before they knew it, three hours had passed and Lucy's shift came to an end. Natsu took over, but not before pulling his blushing celestial beauty into his arms again for one last kiss; he loved how red and swollen her lips were from his aggressive mouth and he smirked when she kissed him back just as eagerly before ducking out of sight and back to her tent.

He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow and has he settled himself with this back to the tree, he only hoped the hours would pass by quickly.


	5. Rage For Love

Everyone was up before sunrise and as soon as breakfast was over, they continued on their way to Clover Town.

The moment Lucy and Natsu spotted each other from across that morning, neither one could suppress the smile curving their lips into warm smiles and for Lucy, the red hue in her cheeks only multiplied when Natsu caught her eyes with his, giving her wink as he slung his pack over his shoulder.

The mission however, proved to be more difficult than previously anticipated and it wasn't long before the group found themselves in the midst of an ambush.

It didn't take them long to realize that the group of bandits were no ordinary pack of thugs; they had skill and an obvious strategy in mind when they managed to separate the wizards from each other and in a relatively short amount of time.

Things turned for the worst when Lucy was caught in the crossfires of Erza's battle with the leader, and taken hostage.

The blonde cursed herself for not being more vigilant and she struggled and fought against her captor with every ounce of strength.

It was no use however; once he had his arm locked around her neck, squeezing the life out of her, the Celestial Mage had no choice in giving up the fight as her vision blurred to nothing but blackness.

…the last thing she remembered was onyx eyes burning with fury and a vicious cry of rage, just before she succumbed to the darkness and blissfully passed out.

When she came to, her honey brown eyes widened in horror. There was so much destruction; smoldering earth, and trees turned to nothing more than piles of ash.

Before she could question what had happened, her eyes fell upon the bodies of their assailants, strewn about the dirt and rubble, each one covered with a tarp. She watched in stunned silence as Erza and Gajeel draped a tarp over the last of the bodies and she felt an icy shiver rip through her when her eyes caught the charred flesh of what was left of a hand, just before it disappeared beneath the tarp.

In the midst of all this, stood Natsu; smoke billowing around his imposing form and soot covering his face, neck, arms and hands. There was blood that trickled down the side of his face from a cut above his eye but the Pyro didn't seem to take notice of it as he slowly made his way towards Lucy and gently scooped her up from the ground and into his arms.

Not a word was spoken as they made their way back to the station—Erza had already met with Clover Town officials, informing them that their mission had been a success and with the help of Levy and Gajeel, they were able to discover the remaining kidnap victims and return them to their families.

Natsu had insisted on getting Lucy back home as quickly as possible and so, he'd left the logistics of the mission to his teammates without any protest whatsoever.

When they reached the station, Natsu gently set Lucy down on a bench and draped his vest around her shoulders while he headed to the desk to fetch their tickets.

It wasn't long before the train pulled into the station and Natsu returned, scooping her up in his arms again to carry her onto the train.

When she questioned about the others, he simply told her that Erza was taking care of things and would be sure to catch up.

That was the end of their conversation and the rest of the ride home was quiet.

She hadn't been ignorant of what happened; she knew from the evidence she had seen that the pack of Bandits had been slaughtered and even though a dangerous threat had been eliminated, she couldn't help the chill slicing through her body when she remembered the charred remains of that one body.

Clearly, the poor bastard had been burned to death and the Celestial Mage knew of only one person who was capable of the use of fire.

Honey brown eyes flickered to the man sitting across from her—slumped in his seat with elbows resting on his knees and his head bowed.

Poor Natsu.

When they arrived back in Magnolia, Natsu slung both his and Lucy's packs over her shoulders and silently offered her his hand.

She took it willingly, but said nothing as the Pyro quietly lead her through the streets towards the Guild.

He delivered her to the infirmary, insisting she get herself checked out, and left to give Gramps the official report.

Once Lucy was discharged, she waited around for Natsu for over an hour.

…but the pinkette never showed.

Dejected and disappointed, the blonde slowly trudged back to her apartment, peeled of her sooted, dirty clothes and fell into bed.

Three days passed and there was no sight of her rosy-haired best friend.

Erza and the others had returned by then and when they stopped by her place to check in on her, she discovered that they hadn't seen anything of Natsu since he and Lucy had left Clover Town.

Now her disappointment turned to worry.

She searched anxiously for him, asking around the Guild and even inquiring in town if anyone had seen or heard from him.

But there was nothing.

On the fourth day, Lucy stumbled into her shower that morning, turned on the hot water and cried bitterly as the shower beat down on her tired, aching body.

She felt sick.

She was so worried about Natsu, she was almost terrified and the tears kept coming as every worst case scenario flashed across her mind.

Her legs gave out and she was just about to slump to the tiled floor when the glass door to the shower stall suddenly flew open and a strong arm grabbed her waist from behind.

She let out a yelp of surprise but then honey eyes widened when she came face-to-face with onyx eyes and rose colored hair now dripping wet from the shower.

 _Natsu._

"Natsu?" She was gasping for air; thrilled and terrified at finding him standing in her shower.

"I…"

"Natsu…" Her hands cupped his face and her eyes watered with fresh tears. "Gods, Natsu where have you been?! You've been gone for four fucking days! What the hell, Natsu?"

His face contorted into a look of pain and desperation and his hands shook as he held her by the waist.

"I just…I needed some time. I didn't think…after what happened, I—"

Finally his dark eyes met hers. "I didn't think you'd want to see me."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked up at him but there was a part of her that understood.

…Natsu had probably never killed anyone in his life and if he had, it was because he'd had no choice.

But this….this was different. He'd lost all control, blinded by his rage and pure instinct had taken over.

"Natsu…there is _nothing_ that could make me _not_ want to see you." She soothed, her thumbs smoothing over his cheekbones as she spoke to him.

Natsu looked up at her, surprise evident in his bottomless orbs. "But I—I mean you saw what happened; I lost it and I—"

But the blonde shook her head. "You did…what you felt you had to do. You were scared because they had me. Natsu, you were protecting me."

Hot water poured down on the couple, drenching the man's scant clothing and soaking his bronzed skin as he gazed down at the woman in his arms—but he didn't care.

"Luce, I'm so sorry, I—I'm sorry—"But his words were cut off when pink lips pressed reassuringly against his.

The fire Dragon Slayer froze for an instant until the feeling of slender arms snaking around his neck, suddenly jerked him out of his stupor.

Here was Lucy, naked and drenched from head to toe from the shower's downpour, holding him in her arms and kissing him as she whispered fervently to him.

He must have been out of his mind not to notice the way her soft, voluptuous curves fit against him or the way she'd sighed blissfully when his hands slipped around her waist.

A soft moan escaped the Celestial beauty, vibrating against his lips and the Pyro inhaled sharply as fiery heat licked across the surface of his body.

He pulled back just enough to look in her eyes—their honey depth swirled with desire and longing, causing the Pyro's body to ache with need.

"Gods, Lucy—I needed you. So bad." He crushed his mouth to hers again, kissing her hard enough so her lips would bruise.

He needed her physically aching from his touch—wrapped around his body and drenched in his scent.

"N-Naruto please… _please_ don't ever leave again; not unless you t-tell me—"

He silenced her with another heated kiss, shaking his head fervently. "No. No I won't. Not ever, trust me." He pulled her body flush against him, relishing her wet skin pressed so snuggly against his.

Eager fingers tugged at his vest, pushing it off his shoulders before nails scraped deliciously up his back and along his shoulders.

Lucy moaned into his mouth, loving the feeling of his muscles, tensing and flexing beneath her fingertips as she explored him.

Gods, how she had longed for this—this exact moment of having him in her shower, solid muscles dripping wet and all of him at her mercy.

"Oh Natsu!" She gasped as his hands clawed up her back, fingers splaying between her shoulder blades as he pressed her against him.

"You know—I've a-always—wanted you—just like _this."_ She admitted feverishly between kisses.

"Oh yeah?" he murmured huskily against her lips.

"Why's that?"

His mouth nipped at the sensitive skin of her throat, causing the beautiful blonde to shiver in his arms.

"I just—well I—"suddenly, Lucy felt incredibly embarrassed and couldn't find the words.

"Luce?" He whispered expectantly.

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, Lucy buried her face in his chest, her body trembling.

"I—there's something you don't know, Natsu."

When she didn't elaborate, he pulled back, gazing down into her eyes.

She was gnawing on her lower lip, an anxious tick of hers when she was nervous.

"Lucy. Look at me. What is it that you're so scared of?" He tilted her chin up to meet his black eyes.

She was trembling and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

He caressed her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. "Luce…"

"I-I'm in love with you…Natsu."

A gasp of surprise and black eyes widened in shock.

"I've been—in love with you since two years ago. M-maybe even longer than that, I—I don't really know when it even started but I—I've loved you for so long but I've been so terrified of telling you; I didn't ever think you'd u-understand! And then when Lisanna came back, the way she acted around you was just—and I thought—"

Black eyes smoldered, boring into her honey orbs, words freezing on the tip of her tongue.

"Lucy Heartfilia…" he breathed, his black eyes shining with tears of joy. "I have _loved you…from the moment I first clapped eyes on you."_

Honey brown eyes widened in shock as tears spilled over, cascading down her cheeks and mixing with water.

"You…you've… _loved me…?"_

Natsu chuckled in amazement, taking her face in his hands and bringing his mouth just barely an inch away from hers. "You…really are….the most _incredibly stupid_ woman…I've ever known." And with that, His mouth captured hers, kissing her thoroughly and stealing her breath away with the sensuous caress of his tongue against hers.

Tears spilled from his eyes but he smiled against her mouth, locking his arms around her as tightly as he dared.

 _Mine._

 _The End._


End file.
